Liam Norcliffe

A daredevil couple who are volunteers at Bassetlaw Play Forum are set to embark on a dangerous climbing challenge in Switzerland in a bid to raise vital funds to keep the service running for another year.

Alison Noble, chair of Bassetlaw Play Forum, and her partner Paul Alexander are set to climb one of the highest man-made climbing walls in the world, the Diga di Luzzone, on Saturday 20th June.

The dam is a concrete wall of vertical thrills towering almost 600 ft above the ground, and has been described as the ‘Everest’ of climbing walls.

Alison only started climbing in July 2013 and although Paul is an experienced climber, she says that this will be the biggest challenge they have faced together.

“We are really looking forward it,” Alison said. “It will be the most memorable one that we have done together.”

“We regularly go climbing but we have not done anything like this together.”

Alison Noble training for the climbing challenge in Switzerland

“Paul is an experienced climber but even he is not underestimating the enormity of it.”

The pair hope to raise £3,000 in donations to help keep the service operating for another 12 months.

Alison told the Guardian that she hopes to inspire others by completing the climb.

“I have done a lot of things to try and raise money for the play forum and it was just something I wanted to do,” she added.

“I work in schools and perhaps it will be inspirational to the children and also to let them know that it is okay to be scared and frightened to do something that you have not done before.”

Any class, school, group, organisation or individual who pledges sponsorship will be in with a chance of winning £250 of art and craft supplies from the Bassetlaw Play Forum Resource Centre and free membership for a year.

This week the couple received a major boost when the Rotary Club in Retford donated £500.

Visit Givey.com/BassetlawPlayForum to make a donation.

A free climbing event is being held on 12th August, 1pm-4pm, at Kings’ Park in Retford, for anyone who wishes to give climbing a go.

Bassetlaw Play Forum is based at the Old Brewery Yard, Kilton Road, Worksop.